In certain orthopedic and neurosurgical procedures, cadaveric bone is used to repair or replace damaged bone structures, such as the spine, for example. Tissue banks currently provide cut and processed cadaveric bone for use as struts and fillers in various orthopedic procedures. In many patients, unfortunately, the implanted bone fails to fuse with the patient's own bone. One solution to this problem is to add a stimulant or human growth factor to enhance the probability of fusion. Current procedures for reconstituting cadaveric bone with concentrated growth factor fluids, for example, include simply soaking the bone in the solution for a certain period of time. Notwithstanding its simplicity, this method can be time-consuming and fail to completely permeate the interstices of the bone sample with the fluid.
The present invention is directed to a novel apparatus and device for reconstituting a bone sample with a biological fluid, such as concentrated plasma or saline solutions, for example, prior to surgical implantation into a patient. In particular, the invention comprises, in certain aspects, a container in which a bone sample may be reconstituted with the desired fluid by applying a vacuum within the container, thereby driving the fluid into the bone for complete, or near complete, permeation of the fluid into the interstices of the bone prior to surgical implantation.